LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Finding a way to build upon positives from a tough loss against Green Bay is the next step for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Those positives would no doubt be much easier to see without the blocked field goal to end a 20-19 defeat, but Williams found them. He said it started with the way new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown devised a game plan and called plays.
“It started with him stringing things together and doing a good job with that and getting everybody into a rhythm and not necessarily thinking of what’s next?” Williams said Wednesday. “Or anything like that. We kind of had an idea of what’s next, and from there you go out there, you play, and you play efficient football, it gives you the best chance to win.”
Brown replaced fired coordinator Shane Waldron and the Bears gained 113 yards more than their season average of 278 yards. It helped getting 179 yards in the running game, and that could be in jeopardy this week because coach Matt Eberflus revealed Wednesday that running back D’Andre Swift has a groin injury and missed practice.
The offense had 43 more yards passing than their average with 212 yards, and they were almost twice as good on third downs, converting 56.3%.
Williams received much of the credit for converting a fourth-and-3 with a 21-yard pass to Rome Odunze and with getting the Bears in range for a game-winning field-goal try.
However, he deflected much of it to Brown and partly for getting plays in quickly.
“We didn’t reinvent the wheel for those three or four (practice) days that Thomas became the offensive coordinator and play caller,” Williams said. “I think the decisiveness, I think all of that came from, one, our meetings, and how we’re going to do things. I think it came from being able to get play calls in faster and being able to get up there and not feel like you’re rushed or not feel like you need to hurry up and get the ball snapped and things like that.
“I think all of these small things, details of routes, details of the blocking, details of the path of running backs and how we’re going to do things, I think that led into all of what happened last week.”
The Bears haven’t turned the ball over in three straight games, but doing this against coordinator Brian Flores’ blitzing Vikings defense will be the goal this week. Minnesota and Buffalo are tied for the league lead with 21 takeaways.
“I think obviously, you know, he’s going to blitz you,” Williams said. “He’s the king of cover-zero blitz and finding a bunch of different ways to do it.”
Eberflus views Williams as an effective quarterback against blitzes, if this is the path the Vikings take against him.
“It starts with his natural ability,” Eberflus said. “His natural ability is to get the ball out fast. Some players don’t have that ability, right? They take it. Their release is slow. But his is very fast.
“I think it helps him. The recognition, the way we set it up on offense I think will help him also. And it’s just identifying it before the snap, but also it’s natural ability to get the ball out.”
Williams saw something else as critical as they try to build on the success they had last week, at least from an offensive standpoint.
“I think communication, I think the attitude and I think us just going out there and being on the details, for myself and for the whole team,” Williams said. “I think those three things would be huge for us for this run that we’re going to go on.”
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Gene Chamberlain, The Associated Press
